I Am Here For You
by RayElaineFan
Summary: Ray is comforted by friends and family after finding out Aunt Lois has Leuekima.


Title: I Am Here For You 1/

Author: Shafarah White

Betas: Susie Owens and Rose (Miss Janine)

Summary: family and friends comfort Ray after finding out his Aunt Lois has leukemia.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Real Ghostbusters.

Copyright: 2006

No flames or rude comments are accepted. I hope everyone enjoys this story.

Ray was feeling a bit down lately because his Aunt Lois had been in the hospital for a while. She told him the other day that the doctor told her she had leukemia and might not have long to live. She was almost the only family member that Ray had since his parents were killed in a car accident many years ago.

After hearing the news, he went home. There he decided to sit down outside the patio just to have some time to himself.

A voice called softly to him, "Ray, are you okay? You seem so down."

He looked up and saw Elaine standing there.

"No, not really." He sighed and took a deep breath. "It's just that I found out that Aunt Lois has leukemia; she told me that she doesn't have long to live, and I'm really sad about this. I was very close to her since my parents were killed." he replied in a low voice.

Elaine looked very concerned. "Oh Ray, I'm so sorry to hear this." she said as she walked over and sat down next to her husband. Ray gave her a sad smile as the tears started forming in his eyes. Elaine leaned over and gave him a hug. "It is going to be okay, Ray. I am here for you. I love you so much."

"Thanks. I love you too, Elaine." Ray whispered as he broke down sobbing while Elaine was wiping his tears away as she continued to hold him in her arms. After a while when Ray calmed down, they continued to sit down on the patio.

"Do you think that we should tell CJ and Jules?" Elaine asked in concern. "I don't want them to be scared about what is happening to Aunt Lois."

Ray nodded in agreement, "I think we should tell the kids. But I think we also need to explain to them what's happening." He replied slowly. "I'm going to visit Aunt Lois tomorrow. The guys said they would cover for me if we get any calls. They are very supportive. I have great

Friends."

"I'm glad that you do. And remember, the kids and I are here for you, too. We'll both go see Aunt Lois tomorrow. The kids can stay at the firehouse." Elaine decided, "She's almost like a second mother to me and I always thought that she was so sweet."

Ray gave his wife's hand a grateful squeeze. "Okay, we'll do that then and I think it's getting a bit late. So let's head inside and check on CJ and Jules," he explained while they both got off the patio and stepped inside the house.

The next morning at the hospital, Aunt Lois was resting in her bed. She had been in the hospital for a while and already she felt very weak and tired most of the time. The chemo was doing this to her. She was trying not to look so tired for Ray and Elaine were coming by to visit.

A few minutes later, Ray and Elaine arrived. "Hi, Aunt Lois. How are you doing today?" Ray asked as he and Elaine went quietly into her room. They sat next to her by her bed. Aunt Lois gave them a smile despite the pain that she was in.

"I'm doing okay. I'm going to try and make it, in spite of the leukemia." she replied. Then she turned to Elaine, "How's your job going, Elaine? Ray has told me that you're a realtor now."

Elaine smiled and said, "It's going well, despite the hours I have to work but I do enjoy it very much. I also have the weekends off and I do some volunteer work at the library. I hope that you're doing okay. I hope you're not too much in pain. We have been so worried about you." She looked concerned.

"I'm doing fine, honey. The pain medicine helps. Now you two stop worrying over me."

Ray nodded, "I know, Aunt Lois. We all just worried about you. But I'm glad that you're doing okay though. How are they treating you?" he asked.

Aunt Lois replied, "They're doing a wonderful job taking care of me. And the nurses do help me a lot as well. So how are CJ and Jules doing?"

Elaine said, "The kids are doing fine. They're at school right now and we told them earlier that we might be here for a while. Ray and I will pick them up from the firehouse."

"How are your kitties?" Aunt Lois inquired

"The cats are doing okay. I only wished that Princess would stop scratching my leg. She thinks that I'm a scratching post." Ray smiled adding a little humor to his voice. "Fluffy and PW are great, too. I brought them a cat tree so they can all have a play area to play in."

"That's good to hear." Aunt Lois said.

Ray and Elaine stayed with Aunt Lois for quite a while until visiting hours were over and Aunt Lois need to get some rest.

After saying goodbye to Aunt Lois, Ray and Elaine left the hospital. As they headed for the car, Elaine looked at Ray, "Ray, do you think we should bring the kids with us the next time we go back to visit her?" she asked.

Ray smiled at her and gave her hand a small squeeze before he answered, "I think we should. But we need to explain to them what is happening before we bring them. They need to be prepared. We don't want to upset them."

Elaine nodded, "I know, dear. I hope and pray that Aunt Lois will make it though this." She said as she squeezed Ray's hand in reassurance.

Ray held his wife's hand in his own, "That's true. Aunt Lois has been really healthy most of her life. Sure, she has gotten sick plenty of times but I just hope that everything works out." he said.

Elaine replied, "It will, don't worry. Now it's time to pick up CJ and Jules from the firehouse." Then they both got into the car and drove off.

Back at the firehouse, the guys had finished their calls for the day and now they had cleaned themselves up from the goop and slime that they faced during the busts.

"Man," Peter complained as he flopped down on the couch. "Those were the longest calls that we ever done. I really wished that Ray had been with us. The jobs would've been a lot easier."

"Peter, don't you even start. You know we were covering for Ray since he's at the hospital visiting his Aunt Lois." Winston pointed out as he put the checks down on Janine's desk. "Here Janine, will you take care of this?"

Janine nodded, "No problem. Long day?" She asked.

Winston replied in a tired voice, "Yes, it sure was. Where are CJ and Jules? I've spoken to Ray and he's on his way to pick them up."

Janine said, "They already had done their homework. They're upstairs playing with their game boys."

CJ and Jules came downstairs after finishing their homework. "Hey Uncle Winston, did Dad call here, yet?" CJ asked.

Winston replied, "Yes and he'll be here in a little bit. Do you guys have your things together?"

Both kids nodded. They had their book bags packed and ready. 5 minutes later, Ray and Elaine arrived.

"Hi, Everyone." Ray greeted.

"Hello, Raymond, Elaine. How is your Aunt Lois?" Egon inquired as he came down from his lab.

Ray answered, "She's doing okay despite the leukemia. And she wanted us to tell you guys that she said hello. The chemo is making her a bit weak and tired most of the time. But she managed to stay strong for us and we chatted for a while. I really hope that Aunt Lois makes it through."

Winston placed his hand on Ray's shoulder, "It's going to be okay, homeboy. You can take all the time off that you need." he assured him.

CJ and Jules greeted their parents. "Hi Mom, hi Dad!"

Ray and Elaine hugged their kids, "Hi kids, how was school today?" their mom asked.

Jules replied, "It was okay. But the day went by a little slow, but good."

Ray nodded. "That's good. Did you have any homework?" he asked.

"Yes, but we did it." CJ said.

Ray then looked serious as he faced the kids, "Kids, as soon as we get home, I need to talk to you two about your Aunt Lois."

"Why?" Jules asked fearing that it might be bad news. "Is there something wrong?"

Elaine answered her daughter, "Yes it is. We'll tell you more when we get home."

They stayed at the firehouse for a little until it was time to go home. As the Stantz family headed out to their car, Ray told the guys good night.

"Remember Ray, we're here for you. In case you need anything." Peter called out as they were pulling off.

Ray called back, "Okay, Peter. Good Night!"

As soon as the family got home, Ray asked CJ and Jules to come into the living room. CJ and Jules looked at each other somehow knowing that their father was about to give them bad news.

"CJ, Jules, I have something to tell you about your Great Aunt Lois." Ray began.

Elaine stood by him holding his hand; tears were beginning to form in his eyes. "There's no easy way to say this." Ray swallowed and said in a low faraway voice. "Your Great-Aunt Lois has leukemia."

CJ and Jules looked at their parents in shock and disbelief. "Great-Aunt Lois has leukemia? Will she get better?" CJ asked.

Elaine sighed and explained the best way she could, "The doctor told us that Aunt Lois' cancer is spreading and she doesn't have long to live. You know she's been in the hospital for a long time to get treated but it's not helping. The only thing we can do is hope and pray for her." Elaine stopped as the tears also formed in her eyes as she continued to hold Ray's hand in which he gave a little squeeze.

After Elaine had finished telling the kids what was happening to Aunt Lois, Jules' hazel eyes were filled with tears, "I can't believe that Great-Aunt Lois is going to die." She whispered as she tried to keep herself from crying.

"I know." CJ added. CJ and Jules then went into their parents' arms crying as Ray and Elaine held them for a while until they calmed down.

Afterwards, the kids finally calmed down. Their parents continued holding them in their arms until Elaine looked at her watch, "It's a little after 6:30, so it's dinnertime. I hope that everyone is hungry." She said trying her best to keep it together for Ray and the kids.

Ray and the kids all nodded. Elaine went into the kitchen to fix supper. Ray, Jules and CJ remained in the living room for a little longer.

"Are you going back to visit Great-Aunt Lois tomorrow?" Jules asked softly.

Ray nodded, "Yes, and since you guys now know what's going on with Aunt Lois, your mom and I decided that you and CJ can come with us. That is if you want to."

CJ replied, "Sure, Dad. We'll come, too." He suddenly looked down at his shoes, "I'm feeling a bit hungry."

"Yeah me, too." Jules added.

Ray hugged his kids one more time, "Okay, you two, I believe that your Mom has supper almost ready. So why don't you to go upstairs and wash up."

The kids ran upstairs to the bathroom and washed up. By the time they came down, supper was ready. The family sat down in silence and began to eat.

After supper was eaten, everyone helped cleared off the table. And they put the dinner dishes in the dishwasher. The family decided to watch some TV to take their minds off after what was happening with Aunt Lois.

While they were watching TV, the cats came into the living room. Fluffy and Princess leaped on Ray and Elaine's laps they nuzzled them before sitting down and began purring. They both petted the cats.

"Hi Princess and Fluffy." Elaine greeted finally smiling.

The other cat, Pussy Willow went over to CJ and Jules. She had been outside for a little bit. What she had in her mouth was a dead bird.

"Aw gross, PW!" CJ laughed as the gloomy mood the family felt was finally broken as they also began to laugh as well.

The family laughed for a while then Ray got up and went to take the dead bird out of PW's mouth. "Come on girl, drop it." he encouraged.

PW resisted at first but then she let the bird go and it fell into Ray's

hand. Ray then threw it out in the garbage outside.

It was soon time to go bed; everyone had taken a bath and was now in their PJs. Once the kids were in the bed; they went to sleep.

Ray and Elaine were in their bedroom. Elaine was laying in the bed while Ray was still up thinking of the good times that he had with Aunt Lois.

"Ray, it's 11:30. Please come to bed, dear." she said.

Ray looked at his wife, "I'll be there in a minute, honey. I was just thinking for a bit." he assured her.

"About what?" Elaine asked as she got up from the bed and stood next to Ray.

"I was just remembering the good times that I had with Aunt Lois when I was a kid, and now we can't have any more of those times. She was so full of life before she got sick." he answered sadly.

Elaine placed her arms around him, "Really?"

Ray nodded.

"It's going to be okay, Ray. We'll go back to visit Aunt Lois tomorrow."

A smile appeared on Ray's face, "Thanks. Come on, it's time for bed." They then climbed in the bed and slept for the night.

The next day at the hospital, Aunt Lois was looking forward to seeing her great niece and nephew. She looked a little paler and she was now wearing a skullcap because her hair was falling out slowly. The chemo was taking over more and more each day, making her tired and sick. She was trying her best to remain cheerful since Ray and Elaine were coming back to visit with CJ and Jules. A few minutes later, the door opened Ray and the family arrived.

Aunt Lois slowly looked up as they arrived in her room.

"Hi, Great-Aunt Lois." Jules first greeted as she and CJ put down the flowers that they had brought for her on the counter.

"How have you been doing?" CJ asked.

Aunt Lois gave them one of her famous smiles despite being in pain.

"I'm okay, kids. The doctor is taking really good care of me." She reassured them.

The twins gave her a small hug and the family visited Aunt Lois for quite a while until she needed to get her rest.

After the family left the hospital, Ray decided something. "Elaine, before we go home, I'm going to stop by at the firehouse to see what the guys have been doing without me."

Elaine nodded her head, "Okay, we'll do that then." The family got into the car and drove off.

Meanwhile back at the firehouse, the guys were back from doing a long day of busting that had taken place at the cookie factory. Janine went with them since they were a man short. As they were taking off their jumpsuits, Slimer came down and slimed Peter as he always did, "Hiya, Peter!" he greeted.

Peter let out a scream of disgust: "Slimer, I'm so going to blast you for this!" he reached for his blaster and chased the spud.

Winston grinned at Egon who was shaking his head fondly at the two of them. "Do you think we should stop them?"

Egon answered, "Perhaps we should." They then both went to stop Peter from blasting Slimer.

Janine finished cleaning off the mess from the busting earlier then went back to her desk to check the answer machine to see if there were anymore calls while they had been out.

"Hi, Janine."

Janine looked up to see Ray and his family.

"Hi, Ray. How's your aunt?"

Ray replied, "She's hanging in there. I hope that she can get through this. How did the bust go today?"

She answered, "The bust was long and hard. We had to chase 6 class-2s, who kept throwing cookies at us. Peter ended up falling into a vat of chocolate chip cookie dough since one of the ghosts had pushed him and he fell in. You know how Peter is, he was ranting about his hair all the way home telling us it has been ruined."

Ray and his family couldn't help but laugh at that part. Peter seemed to always have bad luck with his hair and always complaining about it getting ruined by ghosts.

Hearing Ray talking to Janine, the others came to talk to Ray and his family and to see how they were doing.

Slimer floated over and saw Ray and his family. First, he hugged Ray. "Hiya, Ray!" he greeted as he planted a messy kiss on his cheek.

Ray smiled, "Hi Slimer, how are you doing?"

"Fine." The green ghost replied.

Then he went to Elaine who didn't seem to mind as she hugged him back.

At last, he greeted the kids sliming both of them.

CJ and Jules both laughed and said together almost sounding like Peter. "Slimer!"

When they finished laughing together, they talked more about of the bust. It was now 5 p.m. and dinner was almost ready. Janine had set the table. Winston made a wonderful dinner: Hot Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and for dessert, Apple Pie. And everyone was hungry.

Winston turned to Ray, "You all want to stay for supper? I made plenty."

Ray looked at his family and they all nodded their heads, "Okay Winston, we'll stay. Thanks for inviting us."

"Yes, thank you, Winston. You're a lifesaver. It gives me a day off from cooking." Elaine said with relief in her voice.

"You're welcome." Winston replied.

When dinner was finished, the guys cleared and cleaned the table.

Egon and Ray decided to go downstairs to the lab. As they went down, Egon was explaining to him about a new project he was working on and he wanted Ray's input.

Janine and Elaine were having one of their girl talks over a cup of coffee. Slimer was now checking the trash for leftovers. He had taken more of the dinner earlier but he was still hungry.

Peter and Winston were in the living room playing the "Super Mario Bros. 3" video game with CJ and Jules. They did for a while until it was time to go home. Elaine came in the living room. "Kids, it's time to go. CJ, call your father."

CJ went to the top of the basement steps and yelled down:

"Dad! Mom said it's time to go home."

"Okay, CJ. I'll be up in a minute." Ray then turned back to Egon. "I'm not sure of your new project Egon; teaching ghosts how to dance."

"Well, if it works on Slimer, I may finally win the Nobel Prize." Egon replied with a smile. Ray smiled back and went upstairs to join his family and soon they were in the car on their way home.

Ray pulled up into their driveway. They stepped out of their car and went inside the house. They were all tired from their long day visiting Aunt Lois and from staying at the firehouse as well.

Elaine sent the kids off to bed then sat down beside her husband, "Wasn't that the best dinner we had at the firehouse?" Elaine asked.

"It was alright, but I enjoy your meals a whole lot more." Ray winked at her.

Elaine smiled and gave him a kiss. Then she climbed onto his lap. Together, they decided to watch a little TV before going to bed.

Tomorrow, they would visit Aunt Lois again.

The next day back at the hospital, Aunt Lois was feeling a little better than the other day. But she was still a little pale but not in so much pain as she had been the day before. The pain medication was helping her. She wanted to look good for Ray when he comes to visit her. She was sitting up in the bed, silently reading a book that she was enjoying very much when the door opened, and Ray stepped inside.

"Hi, Aunt Lois." Ray greeted her and gave his aunt a small hug, "How are you doing today?"

She gave him a smile. "I'm doing much better than yesterday. The doctor told me the chemo is helping."

"I'm so glad. Look who came to see you, Aunt Lois."

Ray opened the door and Peter, Egon, Winston and Janine walked in. They greeted her and she was very happy to see them.

"How's everyone been doing, and how's the ghost busting coming along?" Aunt Lois inquired.

"We're all fine, ma'am." Winston smiled. "Ghost busting is good but sometimes long. Thank you for asking."

While everyone was chatting with Aunt Lois, there was a loud noise coming from the window.

Janine looked over, "Hey, look it's Slimer!"

Ray went over to the window and opened it just enough to speak to Slimer.

"Slimer! You know you can't come in."

"I want to say hi."

"You go on home, we'll see you when we get back." Ray replied firmly.

"I just wanted to say hi." Slimer cried as he left.

Aunt Lois looked at Ray. "Will he be okay?"

"Yeah. When we get home, I'll buy him a pizza." Peter offered.

Aunt Lois smiled at Peter, "That's nice of you, Peter."

They continued to talk for a while, sharing stories about their recent busts. Aunt Lois was very interested in the stories, after a while, it was time to go. The visiting hours were over.

Aunt Lois looked tired. So they decided it was time to leave so she could get some rest. Everyone really enjoyed visiting Aunt Lois. It was good to see her in good spirits. On the way back to the firehouse, Peter decided to have Winston to make a stop at their favorite pizza place and pick up a pizza for Slimer.

Soon the guys pulled in at the firehouse. They all climbed out of Ecto. Ray immediately whistled for Slimer.

"Oh, Slimer! We're back!" He called.

But there was no answer. So Peter yelled, "Hey Spud, I have a pizza for you if you come down!"

This had excited Slimer who floated down quickly. He greeted everyone with slimy kisses and hugs. But when he got to Peter, he accidentally slimed him.

"Aw, Slimer! Did you really have to do that?"

"Sorry, Peter. Can I have my pizza now?"

"Yeah, sure." Peter gave the pizza to Slimer who ate it in one gulp.

After he ate the pizza, Slimer let out one loud belch before he went off to search for more entertainment. Winston decided to read his mystery book he was not quite finished with yet.

Egon and Ray were finishing up an experiment that they were doing together.

After a little bit, Ray and his family were getting ready to go home for the night. As they were going out the door, Ray called out to the guys, "Good Night! The family and I are going home now. I'll see you all later!"

All the guys wished them all a good night as the Stantzes got into their car and left.

When the family arrived home, everyone got out of the car and went inside. It has been a wonderful time spending the day with Aunt Lois. Each day, she was starting to get stronger. The chemo was helping. It was now 6:30, a little passed dinnertime. So Ray decided to go and pick up some Chinese food for dinner. When he returned, the family sat down to eat. As they were eating, the cats came in. Fluffy and Princess sat down and waited for a treat but PW started begging for food from Ray. She placed her paw on his knee, "Meow." she cried.

Ray looked at her and replied firmly, "No PW, you have your own food. Sorry, girl."

PW meowed again. Ray finally gave in, giving her a piece of chicken. PW took the chicken and growled at the others.

Everyone laughed and soon Fluffy and Princess got a treat as well. When the food has been eaten and the cartons cleared off the table thrown away, CJ and Jules went upstairs to finish up their homework they had to do.

The cats were now playing in their cat tree. The family was tired from the busy day but they were glad that Aunt Lois was improving each day.

Ray and Elaine went outside on the porch to look at the stars that appeared in the nighttime sky. It was a nice, clear evening for stargazing.

Elaine gently placed her head on Ray's chest as he was stroking her hair, "Isn't this lovely?" she asked softly.

Ray winked at her, "Yes, it is, baby. Remember back in Morrisville, we used to sneak out and meet each other at the park at night to look at the stars and moon?" he asked.

Elaine smiled sweetly at him, "Yes, I do. And that was a great spot you picked out for us." She ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss that made Ray blush and twitch his mustache. They decided to stay out for a little longer before it was time to head back inside and get ready for bed.

The Stantz family returned to the hospital to visit Aunt Lois a couple of days later. She looked a lot better and was even walking around. The chemo and the medicine were helping her greatly. When she saw the family coming, she greeted them. "Hi, everyone. I have good some good news."

She was smiling and Ray came over and hugged his aunt. "What is it, Aunt Lois?" he asked.

"Well," she began, "The doctor who been taking very good care of me said that the leukemia has been in remission. He told me that I was really improving after having the having the treatments. I haven't been feeling tired or in pain. He says that I maybe able to go home soon."

Everyone was happy to hear the good news.

"That sounds wonderful!" Elaine smiled as she also hugged her.

The kids were also excited about this as well; "We really missed you visiting us at home." Jules said.

CJ also agreed, "Yeah, Great-Aunt Lois. I'm glad that you're able to go home soon."

Aunt Lois hugged both her great-niece and nephew. "Me too, kids." she replied.

Two more days later after her last stay at the hospital, Aunt Lois was finally able to go home. It has been a very long time since she has been outside. As she was checked over by the doctor and given his okay; she gathered up her things and put them in her suitcase. Ray had came to take her home. Later in the day, there was great joy in the Stantz family because Aunt Lois was home, she had beaten the leukemia. She decided to spend the night with them.

"I am so glad that I'm out the hospital. I do miss spending time with my family and friends. I love you all very much." Aunt Lois declared. "I thought that I was going to die, I thank God that I'm still here."

The family nodded in agreement as they all took turns hugging her. "I'm glad, too, Aunt Lois." Ray smiled at his aunt, "We love you, too."

The End


End file.
